Biographical and Geographical Names

This dictionary contains the names of many notable persons both living and dead. Persons are generally entered under the name or title by which they are most commonly known. Entries typically consist of last name, personal names, birth and death dates, nationality, and occupation or status. Also included, when appropriate, are pseudonyms, original names, epithets, alternate names, reign names and titles. The pronunciation and end-of-line division of elements in boldface are usually shown. The pronunciation and end-of-line division of names or titles in italics or roman are given only occasionally. Transliterations of names from alphabets other than the roman have been made as exact and consistent as possible. For most Chinese names, the traditional Wade-Giles system has been used. The Pinyin system has been used only for Chinese still living or recently deceased.

A number of names contain connectives like d', de, di, van, and von. With some exceptions, chiefly American and British, names are not alphabetized under these connectives but rather under the principal element of the surname. If the surname of a person is usually construed as containing this connective, the entry appears at the principal element and the connective appears immediately after, separated by a comma:

Main Entry: Gogh, van . . . Vincent

If the full name contains a connective which is not usually construed as an inseparable part of the surname, then the connective follows the personal name:

Main Entry: Bee.tho.ven . . . Ludwig von

Birth and death dates about which there is little or no doubt are entered without qualification. Doubtful dates are followed by a question mark, and approximate dates are preceded by ca (circa). In some instances only the years of principal activity are given, preceded by the abbreviation fl (flourished). The dates of a reign or other term of office are enclosed in parentheses.

At the end of many entries are derivative adjectives with such endings as -ian, -ic, or -esque. While it is possible to form these derivatives from any name, only the most common are shown:

Main Entry: Dan.te . . . --Dan.te.an . . . or Dan.tes.can . . . or Dan.tesque . . . adjective

This dictionary gives basic information about the countries of the world and their most important regions, cities, and physical features. The information includes spelling, end-of-line division, and pronunciation of the name, nature of the feature, its location, and for the more important entries statistical data. Cities in the United States having 19,000 or more inhabitants at the 1990 census and incorporated places in Canada having 21,500 or more inhabitants at the 1991 census have been included.

This dictionary includes many derivative forms:

Main Entry: Ab.ys.sin.ia . . . -- Ab.ys.sin.ian . . . adjective or noun

Main Entry: Cos.ta Ri.ca . . . -- Cos.ta Ri.can . . . adjective or noun

Main Entry: Mo.na.co . . . -- Mo.na.can . . . adjective or noun -- Mon.e.gasque . . . adjective or noun

The letters N, E, S, and W when not followed by a period indicate direction and are not part of the place-name; thus N Vietnam indicates northern Vietnam and not North Vietnam. The symbol * denotes a capital. Areas, altitudes, and lengths are given first in conventional units with metric equivalents in parentheses.

The Pinyin transliteration of place-names for the People's Republic of China is the first spelling shown; the Wade-Giles transliteration is second. Where no variant is given, the two spellings are identical.

[Back to top] [Back to Explanatory Notes main page]
[Back to Help main page]